blackstone. by the way, i think it's an interesting question, why is deuteronomy so appealing to this generation of americans? i think there are several responses. first, deuteronomy is a digest. it condenses the books and the laws of moses, which had exerted significant influence on american law going all the way back to the first puritan commonwealths in the 17th century and continuing up to their own time. this book also records god's dealings with a chosen nation, especially in establishing the political and legal institutions necessary to govern a nation. yes, there are texts on government and the responsibilities of citizenship that we find in the new testament, but what's particularly appealing, i think, in the accounts of deuteronomy is americans in the wake of independence, in the aftermath of this war, they have to build a new government. and they see in the history of israel, having departed from egypt, the same exercise taking place, the building of a new nation with its various polit